Improvement in step-ladders



.as it may be readily adjusted to different heights required and used, by detaching two .the brace part of the upper ladder.

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` f.. *'MPR'YEMENTQIN Specification `formin part ofi Letters ,P

Y I september To all whom it mag/concern; v, 1 Beit known; that .I, JOHN DrLLoN, ofthe city, county, andStat-e of New York,hav;e in,- Vented anew and Improved' Double Extension lStep-Ladder, ofwhiehy thefollowing is a specification: Y ,It In the accompanying drawing`,-Figure 1 represents a plan .view t of myV double -extensi-on step-ladder;- Fig. 2, a vertical transverse sec-v tion ofy the same, shown extended in position for use. Fig.;3 yisa'side view,foldednp.V Figg. 4 shows a side view of one of the stepfladders of whichthe extension-ladder is composed in detached state 5' and Fig. 5, a sidewiew-:of the folded and telescoped extension-ladder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. The object of this invention is to provide an extension step-ladder that may be folded upV into narrow space, extended' to its full length without getting shaky or wabblin g, and which may be changed into two separate stepladders of different height, with great facility, whenever desired.

1 It forms thereby a compact and convenient step-ladder for house and business purposes,

ladders for diEerent purposes at the same time.

The step and brace sections of the lower ladder are jointed, when detached, by a lateral hinge-rod and top step, the step-section Vbeing made of side Vpieces 4with a lowermost full step and short upper steps dovetailed into the sides. The upper part of the side supports of the lower step-section is strengthened by metallic encircling-bands, through the holes of which the connecting-rod of the upper ladder passes. Thebrace-section is extended at the bottom to greater width than the step-section, and connected by a lateral screw-rod to Referring to the drawing, A A' represent the lower, and B Bl the upper, step-ladder, which form, jointly, my improved extension step-ladder. The lower and upper ladders slide, by means of metallic guide-bands a, along each other, namely, the upper step-sec- `tion inside of 'the lower step-section, and the lower brace-section inside of the upper bracernber 7, 1876@ application filed l 22,1876.V Y ,V l .t

i section, so las tofform, when :folded `and together, a `double .step-ladder of vverycoinpact `shapethat .may be .readily and lcon veniently stored with thesame. facility, taking up; evenl less `.space thanI Va common single step ladder. 1 The -vlowler ladder `A A is made higher and stronger than` the upper, preferably with ve steps, while the upper ladder is made of four, -sothat by combining them an extension-ladderV of from-six to eight steps islobtained'. lhe lower ladder, being made stronger, furnishespa greater degree of `resistancevat the base lpart of the` extension-ladder-instead of'making the upper part theheavier part, as is mostly the case in extensionladders inwhich the lower part slides outwardly from the upper main part. The main advantage of my extension-ladder consists in the fact that the upper .ladder telescopes into and slides out from the lower, which is accomplished by shortening the steps b of the lower ladder, with the exception of the lowermost one, and increasing their crosssection so as to give them the same strength. These shorter steps b are dovet'ailed into the side pieces -of the ladder, and leave a space back ofthe same for the sliding in and out of the upper ladder, as shown in Fig. 2. The steps of the upper ladder are made, for the same reason, with -full width, but so as to project at the rear or back, instead of at the front, of the side pieces, as is commonly the case.

For the purpose of giving the side supports of the lower ladder sufficient strength to prevent their splitting in longitudinal direction, the lower step is made of full width, and the side pieces are further stiffened by metallic encircling-bands d near the upper parts., so as to give thereby the side pieces the same strength as if lall the steps were of the com,

mon width. The lower wider step serves also as a stop for the upper ladder when sliding the same down into`the lower. The brace part of g the lower ladder slides inside of the brace the side pieces to such length that the brace part is wider at the lower end than the' step part, and gives thereby a steady support to the entire ladder, without sideshaking or wabbling.

VThe upper/ladder B B. is adjusted to any height, by being moved outwardly and locked by a lateral screw-rod, j', that passes through holes of bands d and holes f1 ofthe side` holesf1 of the outer brace part and top staples f2 of the lower brace part A. The connecting-rodsf are rigidly secured, by having eyes at one end and binding screw-nuts at the opposite end, or in any other approved manner. When the upper ladder B B is pulled out entirely, it forms directly a step-ladder of four steps for common use, the inside top ends bearing' against each other, and preventing its spreading open' beyond a certain width. The step-section A andbrace partsY A of the lower ladder are then connected at the top-by one ofthe rodsf, which fastens at the same time to atop step, D, provided with perfo-y rated side lugs g. This vtop step D is secured, V*when the ladders are telescoped into each other, to recesses of the side pieces of the upper rbrace part, by a hinged stop, h, as shown'` in Figs. land 3. The connecting-rods are also 4passed through any suitable holes of the's'tep or brace parts, to be available as soon as required for lextending the ladder, l-The solid side pieces of the' step and brace sections add to th-evstrength of the vextension step-ladder, which recommends itself, by the convenience ot its being extended to greater height 'and bybeingseparated into two independent stepladders of average size, for store and business purposes and for use in the trades.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-Q g 1. rllhe combination of the lower step section A, having guide-bands and shortened upper steps, with the sliding upper section B, whose steps project at the back instead of the front, substantially as described.

2.' The side pieces of the lower step-section A, being strengthened against longitudinal splitting by the wider lowermost step b, and by metallic stiiening-bands d at the upper part, substantially as described.

3. The combination of -the lower sliding brace `part A', having staples f2., with the upper brace part Bf, having side holes f1, and with 'a 'connecting screw-rod, f, substantially as described.

4; Thecombination of the detachable top step of Vlower ladder with recesses of side pieces and pivot-stop 'h of upper ladder, to secure the top step when the separate step ladders are used as extension-ladder, substan-j tially as specified.- Y

.VVitnesses:l Y PAUL GOEPEL, C. SEDGwioK. i

JOHN lDILLONQ 

